Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels Essay -- essays research papers

Although Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift has long been thought of as a childrens story, it is actually a dark raillery on the fallacies of human nature. The four parts of the book are arranged in a planned sequence, to show Gullivers optimism and lack of shame with the Lilliputians, decaying into his shame and assert with humans when he is in the land of the Houyhnhmns. The Brobdingnagians are more hospitable than the Lilliputians, exclusively Gullivers attitude towards them is more disgusted and bitter. Gullivers tone becomes even more faultfinding of the introspective people of Laputa and Lagado, and in Glubbdubdrib he learns the truth about modern man. Gulliver finds the Luggnuggians to be a "polite and generous people" (III, 177), until he learns that the Struldbruggs immortality is a curse rather than a blessing. Throughout the course of Gullivers Travels, Gullivers encounters with each nuance signify a progression from benevolence towards man to misanthropy, resulting in Gullivers utmost insanity.In the first part of the book, Gulliver arrives on a strange island and wakes up tied to the ground by a culture of six-inch tall Lilliputians. Gulliver is amazed by the skill of the Lilliputians in handling him, but he is offended by their disrespect in my Thoughts I could not sufficiently wonder at the prowess of these diminutive Mortals, who durst venture to mount and walk on my Body, while one of my Hands was at Liberty, without trembling at the very Sight of so surpassing a Creature as I must appear to them (I, 8). However, Gulliver complies with every inconvenience that the Lilliputians bestow on him, because he allows them to take him prisoner even though he could destroy them with one stomp. It is rather amusing that Gulliver surrenders to these tiny people so quickly when I felt the Smart of their Arrows upon my Face and HandsI gave Tokens to let them know that they might do with me what they pleased (I, 9). They also tie Gulliver u p as if he were a dog, and search his pockets in order to seize any weapons, among numerous other actions in which Gulliver placidly succumbs. No matter how respectful Gulliver is, however, it is negated by his lack of shame. By urinating on the queens castle to put out a fire, he does not realize that he offended the queen immensely, and this is the cause for his impeachment. By making th... ...is own race begins to incline on him ironically when he describes the culture of his native country to the Houyhnhnms. The rational beings conclude that Gulliver really is a Yahoo because the civilized people of Gullivers culture are just as corrupt as the less civilized Yahoos. Upon realizing the morose fact that he is indeed a Yahoo dressed up like a civilized man, Gullivers psyche collapses and he is trans piddleed into a misanthrope, forever alienated from the rest of society.All four books of Gullivers Travels form a rapid descent into the dark nature of man. Swift is satirizing the elements that make men human, from small pettiness to corruptness and greed. When a sane man such as Gulliver is exposed to the different aspects of human immorality, Swift shows how these influence his life and the effect, ultimately, is the deterioration of his mind. At the end of the book, Gulliver cannot even look at his family without feeling disgust. to a higher place all, he is disgusted with himself for being a part of such a corrupt race as man. But Gulliver is an honest Man, and a good Sailor, but a little too positive in his own Opinions, which was the Cause of his Destruction (IV, 191).

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Concept of Charity in the General Prologue :: General Prologue Essays

The Concept of Charity in the General Prologue In the General Prologue, Chaucer presents an array of characters from the 1400s in order to paint portraits of human dishonesty and betise as well as virtue. Out of these twenty-nine character portraits three of them are especially interesting because they deal with humanity. Charity during the 1400s, was a virtue of both religious and human traits. One character, the Parson, exemplifies Chaucers idea of charity, and two characters, Prioress, and Friar, to satirize the idea of charity and show that they are using charity for either devious reasons or out of convention or habit. According to the definition from the Websters dictionary, charity means giving to the needy and gartering the poor. In Chaucers time, however, charity meant much more. It included a love of G-d and doing the will of G-d as well as the kind of person one is. Thus Charity had two move, one human, the other divine. Two parts that mixed in different portions depending on a person. Charity was a human virtue that the Church encouraged. People believed that if one does something good, he will be rewarded by G-d. Many people did meaningful, charitable things out the goodness of their hearts, but others had done it for other reasons. Those reasons included making money from peoples suffering and giving to charity because someone told them to do so, rather than from the goodness of their hearts or to ease the suffering of others. Chaucer plays off both of these parts of charity in his portraits to show how they outhouse be combined differently in different people and to distinguish true charity from false charity. Parson exemplifies Chaucers idea of true charity. Even though Parson does not have any money, he considers himself rich spiritually. Going around the village, he teaches the poor and those who cant go to church about what G-d is and how to be a religious person. He gives more than he receives. In fact, he avoids preaching to the rich and well-to-do because he prefers going to the humble and poor, who truly need his help and G-d. He doesnt run to London to earn easy bread